One of the original reasons we started this blog was because we know that shopping online can be a highly impersonal experience. Even though you’re shopping with us, you never see our faces and often never hear our voices. You don’t get a sense that someone is there to help you. And that might discourage you from asking for help in the first place if you need it.

We want to let you know that yes, there are real people behind your computer screen waiting to serve you and fulfill your shopping needs. Our new Employee Spotlight series not only highlights some of our most hard-working employees. It also gives you a glimpse into who we are.

Vince, Shoe Metro's sneaker fiend. Photo by Chris.

We’ll kick it off today with Vince. Vince has been working with us for the past two years in our Listing Department. In his short time, he’s worked his way up to become the top Lister and the department’s Training Supervisor. However, when he’s not at Shoe Metro, Vince is an avid sneaker collector. We asked Vince some questions about his sneaker obsession:

So how many shoes do you have in your collection?
I stopped counting a few years ago. But I’d guess about 150 pairs now.

When did you start collecting sneakers?
I’ve always been into shoes since middle school but I never had the money to afford them. So I didn’t seriously get into collecting until high school when I got my first job—a “Sandwich Artist” at Togo’s. And that was actually one of the main reasons I got a job in the first place.

That’s awesome. But why sneakers? Why not rocks or stamps or something?
It’s just like any other hobby, but shoes have a sense of style. Some people get tattoos, some people get piercings, weird haircuts, and whatnot. Shoes are just my way of doing it. They don’t just sit in my room like a shrine. I wear them too. I sometimes buy two pairs of shoes: one to keep [in my collection], one to wear. I never buy anything that doesn’t look good, that I wouldn’t wear myself. Continue Reading…

This is somewhat old news by now but I’m just hearing confirmation about it today. About a month ago, there was some controversy with Marcus Jordan, the son of NBA legend and sneaker fiend aggregator Michael Jordan. This year, Marcus is a freshman basketball player for the University of Central Florida. Now, UCF has had a contractual agreement for at least the past 4 years with Adidas to sport Adidas athletic footwear and apparel in return for sponsorship. But Marcus Jordan, the son of arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, could not bear to step into anything less than Nike Air Jordan sneakers. There was concern about what his stubbornness would mean for the team and even for UCF sports in general.